Post by Purple Pain on Jul 30, 2018 17:11:34 GMT -6
ESPN - Roquan Smith's holdout is justified: Why Bears are to blame
More at the link:
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24229726/chicago-bears-blame-roquan-smith-holdout-contract-dispute-rookie-guaranteed-money
Please understand this: Even if you take Nagy at his word that the new helmet rule is "part of the issue," the problem isn't that the Bears are worried about Smith getting ejected or suspended for newly illegal hits. The problem is that the Bears want to reserve the right to void his guarantees if he gets ejected or suspended for illegal hits.
That's a critical difference, and it isn't the only approach available to them. The Bears, if they're truly worried about this new rule and its impact on linebacker play, could say to Smith, "This is going to be a tough one for guys coming into the league at your position. But we're going to work with you on this, teach you the rules best we can and try to put you in a position to avoid a problem. And if you end up getting ejected or suspended for an illegal hit, we'll stand by you and keep working at it." Instead, they're saying, "If you get ejected or suspended for an illegal hit, we want to be able to take your money back."
That is why it's hard to take Nagy at his word and much easier to believe that his public comments are part of an organizational negotiating tactic. To wit:
If the Bears are indeed obfuscating, they've likely found an effective way to do it. Bringing up the new helmet rule attaches to this issue an easy handle for the general public and the opinion shows to grab onto. "Oh, no! Confusing new NFL rule is to blame for rookie not being in camp on time? The NFL can't get out of its own way!"
Don't fall for it. The Bills got first-round linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to camp on time without loading up his contract with any sneaky, nefarious language that allows them to void his guarantees if he gets suspended for an illegal hit. Buffalo didn't feel it was worth drawing that line with a rookie who plays the same position as Smith. The Bills are presumably no less concerned about the new helmet rule and its impact on linebacker play than the Bears are; they just didn't think that their right to eventually turn guaranteed money into non-guaranteed money was important enough to keep their rookie out of camp.
The Bears are making the opposite decision -- not because of some scary new rule that no one fully understands yet, but because of the same old dynamic that drives all of these NFL contract disputes: control.
That's a critical difference, and it isn't the only approach available to them. The Bears, if they're truly worried about this new rule and its impact on linebacker play, could say to Smith, "This is going to be a tough one for guys coming into the league at your position. But we're going to work with you on this, teach you the rules best we can and try to put you in a position to avoid a problem. And if you end up getting ejected or suspended for an illegal hit, we'll stand by you and keep working at it." Instead, they're saying, "If you get ejected or suspended for an illegal hit, we want to be able to take your money back."
That is why it's hard to take Nagy at his word and much easier to believe that his public comments are part of an organizational negotiating tactic. To wit:
If the Bears are indeed obfuscating, they've likely found an effective way to do it. Bringing up the new helmet rule attaches to this issue an easy handle for the general public and the opinion shows to grab onto. "Oh, no! Confusing new NFL rule is to blame for rookie not being in camp on time? The NFL can't get out of its own way!"
Don't fall for it. The Bills got first-round linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to camp on time without loading up his contract with any sneaky, nefarious language that allows them to void his guarantees if he gets suspended for an illegal hit. Buffalo didn't feel it was worth drawing that line with a rookie who plays the same position as Smith. The Bills are presumably no less concerned about the new helmet rule and its impact on linebacker play than the Bears are; they just didn't think that their right to eventually turn guaranteed money into non-guaranteed money was important enough to keep their rookie out of camp.
The Bears are making the opposite decision -- not because of some scary new rule that no one fully understands yet, but because of the same old dynamic that drives all of these NFL contract disputes: control.
More at the link:
www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24229726/chicago-bears-blame-roquan-smith-holdout-contract-dispute-rookie-guaranteed-money
... and neither is this Chris guy.